In public and domestic toilet facilities, it is a common problem that spillage and misdirection during urination by an individual causes unpleasant and unhygienic stains and odours around the edges of the toilet or urinal, the surrounding floor area and even minor urine stains to the clothing of the individual. This is particularly a problem with children or the infirm or in toilets in public transport where the motion of the vehicle makes accuracy more difficult. A further problem is that where conventional toilet and hand washing facilities are not available, even if using a urinary directional device, there typically no opportunity to wipe up or hand wash which causes unpleasant staining or odour in clothing.
Several potential solutions to at least the former problem have been proposed, although no entirely satisfactory solution exists, some of which are described below.
JP 10-234763 discloses a male urination adjustment cylinder for correcting an orbit when males of advanced age urinate. The device described is cylindrical with a tapered distal end for discharge of urine. It is designed to be worn on the penis of the male urinating to improve directional flow and reduce soiling of the toilet bowl or clothing. The cylindrical portion includes a handle for the user to direct urination and to aid with application and removal. The described device, however, has the disadvantage that it has to be fitted substantially on to the penis which is a fiddly procedure and it does not address the hygiene issues of wiping or mopping excess urine remaining on the penis.
JP 2001-161734 describes an alternative solution to assist in directional urination for the male. Rather than the male wearing the device on his penis during urination, this document describes a guide cylinder of conical or other funnel-like configurations which is supported in a support structure positioned above the toilet bowl so that urination into the funnel will reduce scatter and avoid soiling of the toilet bowl or trousers. The guide cylinder portion may be disposable and formed of water dissolvable paper or may be reusable and formed of polyethylene or polypropylene to enable a lightweight element that is repeatably washable. The guide die typically has a length of from 10 to 50 cm, a large opening diameter of form 10 to 40 cm and a small opening diameter of 1 to 5 cm. The support structure portion consists of a movable arm attached at one end via a hinge to the under side of the toilet lid or to a wall via an extendable arm and having at the other end a retaining ring for supporting the cylinder guide portion. The support structure may be fitted with a non-slip material such as rubber, or a clamp, to reduce slippage of the guide cylinder portion in the support. There is no disclosure in JP 2001-161734 of the structure being movable such that the guide cylinder is in contact engagement with the penis and as such there is still the potential for the urine to spray or miss the funnel. The assembly also has additional hardware (e.g. the support structure or the funnel itself is reusable) which has the potential for gathering spilled urine and becoming a hygiene hazard itself. Furthermore, the document does not address the wiping of excess urine from the penis and surroundings nor does it provide for any anti-bacterial or anti-fungal function.
ES 2181547 describes a single use or disposable male urination device with a wall dispenser. The device is designed to prevent staining of the floor and surroundings and resulting bacteria and odour when men urinate standing up. The device, which is formed of a slightly waterproofed (e.g. by compression or waxing) cellulose or paper adapter, consists of a truncated cone which extends as a cylinder to form a one-piece Y-shaped form, or alternatively a simpler truncated V-shaped cone or a cylinder, which leads urine from the penis to the toilet. The described device is of length in the region of 50 cm, which in the case of a Y-shaped device is typically 25 cm of truncated cone and 25 cm cylinder portion. The large diameter opening, in which the penis engages, is typically about 5 cm whilst the small diameter opening is typically about 1.5 cm. A range of dispenser arrangements are described, including a stack of inter-stacking guide cylinders and a role of connected devices in a dispenser. A disadvantage of the device described in ES 2181547 is the length of the device may make it awkward to use and would increase the volume of residual urine in the device after use. There is no mention in this document as to the improvement of hygiene by wiping excess urine from the penis or any anti-bacterial function.
EP 1055402 discloses a female urinary device to allow women to urinate in an upright position. It comprises a foldable tubular body which in use assumes a reverse truncated pyramid form in which the apertures are preferably quadrangular or rhomboidal in shape. The purpose of the device is to enable females to urinate in a standing position, in particular to avoid contact with toilets in public conveniences which may not be hygienic. The device is preferably disposable, for hygiene reasons, but may be formed of material enabling reuse. The device is made of a material, e.g. paper or card, having a water impermeable or water repellant coating.
Several other disclosures, including GB 2361871, WO 2004/028322, WO 00/15166 and GB 2396819 describe urine directional devices, which may be disposable or reusable, typically designed to assist women in urinating standing up.
Several prior art documents propose potential solutions to assist in reducing spraying and improving directional urination for men (and women) when urinating standing up. However, several of these potential solutions have disadvantages associated with them, such as the excessive length of the funnel. Furthermore, there is no adequate means to enable improved directional flow in men and thereby reduce spraying when urinating standing up whilst providing improved hygiene to the user.
A further problem related to health is early detection of diseases which can improve prognosis and prevent a condition worsening. Men in particular are reluctant to visit doctors or medical centres for regular check-ups. An easy means for providing early detection of various conditions is desirable and is preferably achieved by urine testing.
Urine test strips are readily available and commonly used in clinics for testing for a range of conditions, such as diabetes, liver disease, kidney function and bacterial infections amongst others. A regular problem that has been identified in urine dip tests is that of providing a suitable sample and hygienically filling a sample bottle, particularly for women. Accordingly, there has been much effort in providing suitable sample collecting devices. US2003/0149408, for example, describes a urine sample collection apparatus for use by a woman without sitting on a toilet, which comprises a body-contacting aperture through which the woman will urinate, a first outlet aperture to which is removably secured a sample bottle and a second outlet aperture which may be directed to a toilet or a second collection bottle. By this means, urine may be collected in the first sample bottle and when full, the urine stream automatically passes to the second outlet.
Devices for in situ testing in the sample collection process have also been proposed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,161 describes a disposable urinalysis device which is for use by males and females to urinate whilst in an upright position while preventing soiling of the body or clothing. The device is in the form of a cone or funnel which may be stored in a collapsed, compact profile and when addressed for use is dimensioned to envelop the exterior of the female vaginal area. It is fitted urinalysis test strips which after exposure to urine are detached from the device for urinalysis. The urinalysis test strips may be fitted to the device by fixing a urinalysis reagent ring at the distal end of the device which is configured to carry one or more urinalysis test strips, or providing them in a pouch on the exterior surface and attached with string whereby they can be disposed inside the cone or funnel prior to use. In this example, it is required to remove the test strip from the cone or funnel in order to assess the result.
GB-A-2392842 describes a urinary device provided as a flat sheet of material of teardrop shaped cross-section which may be fastened along the side edges to form a tubular urinary device. The urinary device may further comprise a reagent test strip, capable of indicating the presence or absence of a substance in the urine by a colour change in the test member. It is provided that the test strip be visible so that it is not necessary to handle urine-contaminated test strip in order to assess the result. Accordingly, it is preferred according to GB-A-2392842 that the test member is formed on the outer wall of the device or is formed on an internal wall at a region provided with a transparent material or window so that it can be viewed externally. The test member may be attached to the urinary device by welding to the interior, by using an adhesive or by forming a slot on the interior of the urinary device to receive the test member.
There is no disclosure of providing a coating on or impregnating into a urinary directional aid a reagent material capable of indicating the presence or absence of substances indicating a disease or bodily condition, e.g. by colour change. There is further no disclosure of providing in the urinary directional aid a means internal to the device to wipe excess urine from the penis and provide a cleansing (e.g. anti-bacterial or anti-fungal) function on the penis.